


more than the air that I breathe

by karasunotsubasa



Series: life and love, and zines [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Kissing, Life and Love, Living Together, M/M, dog smooches, sap vitya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 07:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9712073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karasunotsubasa/pseuds/karasunotsubasa
Summary: There was no such thing as predestined soulmates, a perfect match of ideals and identities, but there were moments, flashes of feelings, small like a trail of a shooting star across the dark night sky, when Victor imaginedthere could be.





	

**Author's Note:**

> omg it's been like a month since I posted anything on here do ppl even remember me? hi hello have some teeth rotting fluff this valentine's day~ I wrote this thing for a project, but since it didn't pan out in the end, I'm posting it here and now bc it'd be a waste of good floof to keep it from u amirite or amirite ;3c anywho, pls enjoy the thing!
> 
> EDIT: GUYS GUYS that project I mentioned? well, this fic will ultimately be included in it, so pls keep an eye out for [yoi-fanbook](https://yoi-fanbook.tumblr.com/) and another one of the fics I wrote for it!!!

 

 

 

There was no such thing as predestined soulmates, a perfect match of ideals and identities, but there were moments, flashes of feelings, small like a trail of a shooting star across the dark night sky, when Victor imagined _there could be_.

 

***

 

He loved being an early riser for many reasons, but the most important one had to be this – Yuuri's face, soft with sleep, pressed into the pillow right next to Victor's. His hair was messily tumbling onto his forehead and hiding his closed eyes, so with a tender swipe of his fingers Victor pushed it back.

Yuuri was so beautiful like this.

Victor traced every inch of his face with his fingertips, careful to not wake him. He mapped it with almost religious admiration, imprinting the image into his retinas, into the very tissue of his fingers, so that he could still remember every nook and cranny even if he closed his eyes.

The curve of Yuuri's eyebrows, the shape of his eyes, the arch of his nose.

The bones that hid under the plumpness of his cheeks. The cheeks that blushed pink when Victor complimented him. The cheeks that hollowed out when he was stressed. The cheeks Victor nuzzled with his nose when laughing, which made Yuuri squirm in endearing embarrassment.

The mouth that was set perfectly to receive Victor's kisses. The lips that always tasted of the ice, chapped and dry. The lips that aligned with his as if they were a pair moulded to fit together. And the small smiling line that always showed up right next to his mouth when Yuuri smiled.

The angular chin with the small dimple that Victor's thumb always found when he tilted Yuuri's head into a kiss. The chin that Yuuri pressed onto Victor's shoulder when they hugged. The chin Victor left small kisses on when they cuddled on the couch and he was too comfortable to move higher.

Brushing his knuckles down Yuuri's face, Victor smiled helplessly. Yuuri shifted, as if his touch pulled him from the depths of sleep, and his eyelashes fluttering briefly right before he opened his eyes. Sleepy and clouded, they looked at Victor expressionlessly for a breath. And then Yuuri's face split into a warm smile, lighting a fire in Victor's chest. Like it did every other morning, too.

"Good morning," Yuuri mumbled, covering his mouth to hide a yawn, and all Victor wanted to do was kiss every single of his fingers.

Which he did. Carefully, reverently, lovingly.

Yuuri's cheeks pinked a little, but his face was still soft and muddled with sleep. He looked so beautiful. Messy and drowsy, Victor couldn't imagine a time he loved more than waking up to this.

Still holding Yuuri's hand, Victor smiled down at him.

"Good morning," he replied.

"What time is it?" Yuuri asked, squinting over Victor's shoulder at the clock, but it was too far away.

"Around six, I think?"

Yuuri groaned, pressing himself closer and hiding his face in Victor's chest. "Why..."

Victor only chuckled and kissed the top of his head. Nose smooshed in black hair that smelled of his own shampoo and something uniquely Yuuri's, he grinned to himself. Good morning, indeed.

 

***

 

"Wha' d'you wanna ea'?" Yuuri asked around the toothbrush in his mouth, their gazes meeting in the bathroom mirror hanging over the sink.

His lips were covered with foam and it dripped down his chin, but Yuuri didn't even care. He still wasn't wearing his glasses and his eyes were a bit unfocused, hair a mess, and crumpled t-shirt skewed on his shoulders. He looked cuddly and warm and Victor had a hard time resisting the urge to indulge.

He actually had the decency to spit out his mouthful of toothpaste before he replied, "Whatever you feel like making, I won't complain."

Yuuri hummed at that, throwing him a little disbelieving look and Victor almost choked at the water he was rinsing his mouth with when he tried to hold back a deceivingly innocent smile. They traded places over the sink and Yuuri cupped his hands under the tap as he washed his mouth and finally turned off the water, accepting the towel Victor handed to him.

"How about rice balls?" Yuuri asked, wiping his face. "We can always take leftovers for lunch."

When he finally emerged from under the towel, his face was slightly flushed from rubbing. And his chin was still covered in toothpaste. Victor couldn't help a grin. Instead of telling him, like any proper human being would've done, he took Yuuri's face in his hands, rubbing the paste off with his thumb. He kissed Yuuri lightly when he was done, but... once was just not enough.

So he kissed him again.

And once more.

And another one.

Short, soft pecks, sweet and fleeting, making him grin like a loon into Yuuri's smiling lips.

Just as he was diving for one more, Yuuri said, "Breakfast."

"Mm, yeah," Victor replied distractedly, kissing him again.

Yuuri huffed a laugh, but kissed him again, and again, before pulling away.

"Wait, just one more," Victor whined.

"We're going to be late," Yuuri said, but Victor pouted, and pouted, and waited... "Okay, fine, one more."

Laughter on his lips, he pressed them to Yuuri's. Once. Twice. He was gunning for a third, but Yuuri stepped away, this time unrelenting to Victor's trembling bottom lip.

"Kitchen. Breakfast. Get dressed. Now," Yuuri said in a voice that held no room for arguments.

He pecked Victor on the jaw and left him in the bathroom, dizzy with happiness that curled around his mouth which tasted like spearmint toothpaste of Yuuri's lips.

 

***

 

Running side by side might have been worse than riding a bike in front of Yuuri, Victor was starting to realize. It was winter, St. Peretsburg was cold, and Victor should've been prepared for this. But as his gaze wandered over to Yuuri's face, and stayed there, enchanted, he knew there was no amount of forethought that could've equipped him to deal with the sight currently before his eyes.

He could hear Yuuri's soft pants from between the red, wet lips, puffs of air rising from them invitingly. The distracting pink tip of his nose begged for kisses, colour spreading over flushed from exertion cheeks, up to the cold-bitten ears that Victor's fingers itched to touch. Yuuri's eyelashes were covered in frost, sparkling white, so different from the dark that always shadowed over his eyes, and Victor's gaze was stuck in the tender beauty he exuded.

It was no wonder that he ran straight into a lamp post, honestly. The impact knocked him on his ass and he sat there on the cold, hard ground for a moment, just blinking as he tried to get the picture of Yuuri's face out of his mind.

"Victor!" Yuuri stopped a few steps away, coming right back to help him up. "Are you okay?"

Embarrassment hot on his cheeks, Victor honestly wanted to cover his face with his hands, but Yuuri was holding them and he didn't have the heart to pull away from him. He was fumbling for an explanation, something smooth he could turn the situation around with, when soft snickering reached his ears.

"Yuuri," he gasped, scandalized. "I can't believe you're laughing at me!"

Yuuri burst out laughing now, head thrown back, hair messed up by the wind, cheeks stung with chill. He was bent in half, not having caught his breath from running yet, and his chuckles where short and choked, but no sound was more beautiful than that. Victor's heart sung happily in his chest, urging him to join in. And who was he to deny it?

He laughed along, pulling Yuuri close to him, and laughing on a shared breath. Yuuri pushed his face in Victor's shoulder, leaning his whole weight on him while his body shook.

"You looked so dumb," he struggled out, sniffling and laughing even more.

Victor wanted to be mad, but how could he? He pressed his cheek to Yuuri's head, breath shallow from laughter.

He _was_ dumb.

The dumbest.

Dumbly in love with a beautiful human being that gasped in tears in his arms, calling him names, and Victor... God help him, Victor couldn't be happier.

 

***

 

"Yuuri," Victor whined when Yuuri flubbed another quad flip. "You're too tense, what's wrong?"

He skated over, going a full circle around a panting Yuuri, hand sliding from Yuuri's hip, over the small of his back until it stopped on his other hip. Yuuri didn't reply immediately, he just wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt, panting. Sweat was rolling down his face, but he still looked stunning – the flames of determination were burning bright in his eyes, capturing Victor by the heart and pulling him in until they were face to face.

"I don't know," he said. "Something just doesn't feel right today."

He moved his shoulders as if there was an invisible itch between them. Victor hummed.

"Okay, let's stop the quads for now," he decided and then grinned. "Dance with me."

"What?" Yuuri blinked at him.

Victor took his hand and spun them around the ice. Gliding in a circle, he put their palms together and lifted them up to the height of their chests in a mockery of some medieval dance. Yuuri's face was blank with confusion, but he followed Victor's movements dutifully as if it was the most natural thing to him. Victor's heart swell with joy.

"Do you know waltz?" he asked as they spun and changed hands, going in the other direction.

"A little, but I've never done it on the ice," Yuuri replied.

"It's fine, I'll lead," Victor smiled.

He took Yuuri's hand and they glided a little to take on speed.

"Okay, turn around," he said and Yuuri followed.

Their arms aligned, bodies came closer, and Victor pushed them forward. They carefully stepped around each other's skates and moved across the ice in a weak caricature of a waltz. People looked at them as they passed, but neither of them paid much attention to others. Victor was humming the melody under his breath to put some rhythm into their movements, while Yuuri's eyes were cast downwards to make sure their blades didn't get caught together.

"Hey, head up," Victor chided him softly after a moment.

"Sorry," Yuuri smiled at him apologetically. "This is more difficult than I expected."

"Not as difficult as the jumps you make every day," Victor argued. "See, you're already getting the hang of it, but with jumps... you can practice for years and never get it right. And you've done it in months. Give yourself more credit."

Yuuri's cheeks tinted pink at the words, and as they spun around slowly, a smile lit up Yuuri's face. Taking him back into his arms, Victor noticed how the almost imperceptible tension that was there before seemed to be melting. It made him smile as well, happy and proud.

He could've honestly stayed like that, dancing for hours, and just looking at Yuuri's gently smiling face, but Yuuri was Yuuri. Always a surprise.

He shifted closer, taking the lead out of Victor's hands like he was born to do it, and with no warning Victor found himself being dipped back. Victor's breath got stuck in his throat as his entire world shifted. He looked up at the smirk curling around Yuuri's mouth, playful and precious, and the words that were already on his tongue seemed to get lost in his sudden breathless silence.

The light that reflected off the ice leaked right into Yuuri's eyes, so bright, so divine, so alive. Despite of the feeling of Yuuri's strong arm holding him in position effortlessly, Victor still felt the dizzy oblivion of falling deeper and deeper in love.

"If you say so," Yuuri said.

For a moment Victor's mind had trouble catching up to their earlier conversation, but once it did, he smiled helplessly.

Really, _this boy_.

 

***

 

Yuuri was a messy eater. It was adorable.

Victor loved kissing him clean afterwards, so he didn't mind even one bit when Yuuri kept on talking with his mouth full. His cheeks were puffed like a hamster's, which made Victor coo in his head as he chewed on his own lunch, trying really hard to hold himself back from poking Yuuri's cheeks with his sticky fingers.

"What is it?" Yuuri's question made him twitch in surprise.

"What is what?" he asked, smiling sheepishly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" Victor felt his face starting to burn. Oh no, did Yuuri notice–

"Like you want to rip away the last bite out of my mouth," Yuuri said, angling his lunch bag in Victor's direction. "Want more?"

Victor stared for a moment. And then he started laughing. Hard.

Yuuri squinted at him, and it only made Victor more breathless as he choked on his chuckles. That was so innocent, so sweet, so... _Yuuri_. Affection strong in his heart, Victor stifled his laughter and pulled Yuuri's face to him, fingers catching in the tangled strands of Yuuri's hair. The kiss was soft and shallow. The tuna filling of the rice balls Yuuri had been eating was good, but the sweet taste of Yuuri's lips was infinitely better.

"You. Are. So. Cute," Victor said, eyes sparkling as he took in Yuuri's dazedly confused face, accenuating each word with a kiss. When he was done, he wiped the corners of Yuuri's mouth with his thumbs and kissed him again, just because he could. "It's _you_ I want to eat up, Yuuri."

Pink was a fetching colour on him, Victor decided, committing the picture of a blushing Yuuri to his heart, along with a thousand of others he cherished just as much.

 

***

 

With Yuuri tucked in his arms, Victor was honestly one of the happiest – if not the happiest... actually, yes, _the happiest_ – man alive. He could feel the soft breaths that moved Yuuri's chest. He could nuzzle his nose in the slightly longish hair or press his lips to the small spot right below the ear that made Yuuri squirm just a little and huff a tender laugh, followed by a sweet sounding "Victor, that tickles."

Really, it was incredible that Yuuri was right there, in his arms, tucked under his chin and _not even paying attention to him_.

Victor was in love.

There was such simple beauty in Yuuri's feet kicked up on Victor's expensive coffee table while his back pressed to Victor's chest as he sat with the laptop quietly whirring on his lap. He fit snugly right between Victor's legs, consumed by whatever he was doing, and snuggled into Victor's arms in a casual, warm embrace as if _it wasn't a big deal at all_.

There was a time when he would've pushed Victor away, there was a time when he would've blushed crimson, there was a time when he would've shied away from Victor's affection, all clammed up inside unbreachable walls, but now...

Victor pressed a kiss to the juncture of Yuuri's shoulder where his sweater slipped some, leaving the skin open just a little. Yuuri only hummed, sinking deeper into Victor, who couldn't help a smile. There was a time when he couldn't have done that without making Yuuri run away from him, flustered and agitated. But now, trust in its purest form was sitting in his arms, precious and weightless, and Victor basked in it so happy and full of love he felt like he was going to burst.

He kissed the side of Yuuri's neck again, suddenly wanting Yuuri to acknowledge it as well.

"What are you doing?" Yuuri finally asked, tilting his head to glance at him over his shoulder.

"What are _you_ doing?" Victor asked back. He peered at the laptop screen and Yuuri angled it his way with no prompting. "Collars?" Victor blinked, but then his lips curled in a smirk. "For you or me?"

Yuuri did look great in pink.

Victor felt a little bit like he was stuck on this one single thing forever, always going on how amazing Yuuri looked when he blushed, but... how could he _not_? Yuuri's cheeks instantly darkened, eyes wide and embarrassed. He was _so_ _cute_ like that. It reminded Victor of those bashful moments where they were just starting to get to know each other, where every touch ended up with Yuuri's face colouring and Victor kissing every inch of his flushed skin.

Yuuri groaned.

"For Makkachin, oh my god, Victor..." He hid his face in his hands. "The padding in his collar is rubbing off, so I thought we should get a new one."

Victor chuckled, pulling him back into his arms and Yuuri let him with a small huff of exasperation. Victor kissed Yuuri's burning cheek and hugged him tight, grinning playfully at the display of various collars.

"I wouldn't mind wearing one for you, though," he mused.

"Don't go putting ideas in my head," Yuuri replied, and there was something hard in his voice, something humming low and deep, something that made Victor's chest tremble.

After all, his heart was already wearing a tag with Yuuri's name on it, so adding a matching collar couldn't really hurt, could it?

 

***

 

"Makka, stop it!"

Yuuri's laughter was ringing through the house even before Victor took off his coat. So happy, so carefree, it was infectious and Victor was already smiling when he tip-toed to the living room. It took him a while to spot Yuuri and his dog on the other end of the couch, on the floor, with Makkachin walking all over Yuuri and licking him everywhere he could reach: face, hands, arms, elbows, neck...

Yuuri was covering his face and laughing so hard his whole neck was splotched red.

"Makkachin, please!" he cried, but Makka only took that moment to swipe his long tongue over his mouth making Yuuri laugh through the small "ew" he made.

Victor leaned over the couch, chuckling as well. It betrayed him and Yuuri sent him a weak glare from the floor, which would've been much more intimidating if he wasn't still smiling.

"Don't just stand there, help me out," he complained.

"But you look so cute," Victor grinned. "How about I join in instead?"

And he did, climbing onto Yuuri and patting Makkachin away, only to start pressing kisses all over Yuuri's delightfully flushed face, which brought just as much laughter as Makka did.

"You're horrible, horrible, horrible," Yuuri was telling him, pushing him away, but Victor continued to laugh and kiss his cheeks, brows, eyes, forehead, lips, nose, everything he could reach. "You're so horrible, Victor, _I love you_."

Chuckling down at him, Victor stopped for a moment, looking into the messy face before him: with sticky hair and red cheeks, and bright, sparkling with tears of laughter eyes and those pink, pink lips.

"I love you, too," he said and meant it, from the bottom of his heart.

Yuuri smiled at him fondly and Victor bowed his head down... to blow a raspberry on the skin of Yuuri's neck, making him squeak with laughter again.

Victor's throat was just a little tighter than before and his eyes burned hot. 

 

***

 

"Victor!" Yuuri called from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"

Two plates, two mugs, good smelling food, Yuuri putting down two pairs of utensils and Makka already whining for scraps by the table.

Victor was used to being alone. He was used to eating alone. Competitions did that to a guy and he didn't really mind it until he met Yuuri. But then again, competitions also gave him the man sitting opposite him and now that he was, Victor couldn't imagine ever going back to the time where he lived without Yuuri. Was that even living...?

Before they started eating, he took Yuuri's hand and kissed it in silent thanks for... everything, really. For being there, for loving him, for making dinner and for the smile that Yuuri sent him just then, soft and warm, as if he knew all the thoughts that Victor wasn't courageous enough to voice.

They sat down in silence, ankles crossing under the table and skin brushing against skin, so right, so perfect, so fulfilling. Victor chewed on his food happily.

"Vkusno," he sighed, which made Yuuri smile again.

"Glad you like it," Yuuri said. "I'm not as good a cook as my mom, but at least I'm better than you."

He poked gently at him, and Victor grinned, hiding his smile in his food.

"How lucky I am," Victor winked at him, taking another bite. "You're true husband material, Yuuri. Whatever would I do without you?"

Yuuri blushed, a sweet pink that made the meal taste even better.

 

***

 

Walking into the bedroom, with hair sill slightly wet and a towel around his neck, just to see Yuuri pulling his shirt off his head was something Victor would probably never get used to. Every day it took him by surprise and made him falter whatever he was doing, words stuck in his throat like charmed.

He stopped in the doorway, gaze drawn to the expanse of Yuuri's back, pale skin dipped in the soft nightstand lights. Yuuri didn't notice him yet, folding the shirt to put it on the chair by the window and Victor watched his hands do the work, mesmerized by the simplicity of it.

Yuuri was there.

In his bedroom.

In their bedroom.

Folding the shirt he wore the whole day, the shirt in which Victor had hugged him, in which Makkachin had him roll on the floor laughing, the shirt in which he'd been by Victor's side and smiled at him so beautiful, so happily, so...

Victor blinked, surprised to find Yuuri looking at him.

"What?" he asked, realizing Yuuri had said something he was too inside his head to catch.

"Are you done in the bathroom?" Yuuri repeated.

"Oh, yes, sorry," Victor smiled. "It's free."

Yuuri stepped closer to him, chest bare and collarbones moving when he lifted a hand to Victor's arm.

"You okay?" he asked, concern clear in his eyes, and Victor felt the tender affection clog his throat.

He stepped closer to hug Yuuri briefly, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. "Never better."

And truly, he was.

 

***

 

"You can finish it tomorrow," Yuuri said, pulling on Victor's sleeve to take his attention away from the book in his hands.

Victor chuckled, looking down. It was true, he could do that. And if Yuuri was vying for his attention, he couldn't say no. So without a second thought Victor put the book on the nightstand and turned the light off with a click. He sunk down onto his pillow to be face to face with Yuuri, revelling in the contented smile that was thrown his way. Yuuri vs Victor, 10 000 to 0.

Leaning in close, he kissed Yuuri's cheek, which made Yuuri's face happily flushed.

"You're so beautiful like this," Victor commented lightly, brushing a tender hand through Yuuri's bangs.

Yuuri just looked at him. "Like what? Blushing?"

"That too," Victor agreed. "But I meant something else."

Yuuri lifted his eyebrows, urging him to continue and Victor bit his lip. His heart was trembling in his chest, making his emotions erratic and too intense to keep in. Yuuri always did that to him, he thought fondly. Ever since they met...

"You're beautiful like this," Victor repeated himself. "Lying here, in my bed, in my apartment, with a ring on your finger promising you to me, forever and always. You... you've completely changed my life, you know?"

Yuuri's gaze was soft, and he took Victor's hand, pressing a kiss to the matching ring on Victor's finger. And it was just too much.

"I'm so lucky I found you," he whispered through his suddenly tight throat, eyes hot with all the affection that burned so brilliantly in his chest.

Sending him a sleepy, soft smile, Yuuri pressed himself closer to him. His arm reached around Victor's waist, like a remainder that he was there and he wasn't going to leave. It made Victor's lips quiver when Yuuri nuzzled his face into the crook of his shoulder, a gesture so intimate and loving, that Victor couldn't breathe for a few seconds.

"I'm so lucky _you_ found _me_ ," Yuuri replied in a tender voice.

 

***

 

There was no such thing as predestined soulmates, a perfect match of ideals and identities, but in moments like those, tender heartbeats singing in unison, warm hands linked together, smiles pressed against each other, in moments like those, when his chest felt just a little bit fuller, Victor imagined there could be.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have a few more works lined up soonish so don't worry guys, I've got u ^u^)b


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